Saturday, February 13, 2016

Two coasts, one problem: In Florida, GOP leaders think you are idiots ... by gimleteye

In Florida, there are two coasts — the Gulf and Atlantic — and one problem: elected officials (Republicans first and foremost, because they control of the executive branch and legislature) think voters are stupid. Why do GOP officials think you are stupid? Simple. They think they can hide the biggest pollution threat afflicting Florida, the massively polluted Lake Okeechobee, by shoving it into the Everglades.

Historic rainfalls in January floated to the surface how mismanagement of water resources in Florida serves the profits of Big Sugar billionaires like Florida Crystal's Banjul family or the Mott's of US Sugar. Surrounded by phalanxes of lobbyists and the most highly paid attorneys in Florida, they are holding us hostage to the immeasurable costs of toxics in our water. They -- they, through hirelings in the state legislature like state representative from Collier County Matt Caldwell -- dictate terms of water quality and water outcomes for the rest of us.

Simply, Florida's fresh water resources are channeled through highly engineered system that first uses Lake Okeechobee (I call it, the diseased heart of Florida) as a vast septic tank for agricultural runoff and then, instead of risking it overflowing, dumps extremely toxic, flood water right onto the doorsteps of millions of property owners, residents and taxpayers on both coasts.

Two coasts, one problem. And possibly a solution.

The use of social media to by-pass traditional, economic models of news dissemination to highlight the trashing of Florida by (mainly) Republican officials -- incoming Senator president Joe Negron, aspiring governor-to-be Adam Putnam, and current governor and aspiring US senator Rick Scott -- is up-ending the state’s worst kept secret: how Big Sugar billionaires pull the strings and screw the rest of us.

Call it a social media revolution like the one that started in Tahir Square. The newspapers are running to catch up.

That is why the latest GOP scheme — to use the Everglades as a place to hide billions of gallons per day of toxic filth — isn’t going to work.

They make the most money by keeping things the way they have always been: using the Everglades Agricultural Area as we would an ATM — for frequent withdrawals subsidized by the taxpayer in the form of agricultural subsidies that turn sugar into gold. Great deal if you are one of the insiders; none of whom would risk dipping their toes and contracting a staph resistant infection we could get because they get to dump their filth in our water.

For all these reasons, it is critical for Floridians to understand that how the current Republican plan to divert water away from the estuaries and rivers and hide it in the Everglades is cynical beyond belief. To clean up Big Sugar’s past pollution, taxpayers are ALREADY spending tens of billions of dollars.

The bright fact is: taxpayers will have to spend billions of dollars more before Big Sugar billionaires like the Fanjuls and the Mott Family Trust— allies of the Koch Brothers — release their death grip on Florida.

Two coasts: one problem. They think you are too dumb to understand the facts. With March presidential primaries around the corner, those facts are highly damaging to two of the GOP candidates held aloft while we struggle downstream from their gates of hell spewing Lake Okeechobee filth: Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

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Quotes hall of fame - worth another look:

Jonathon Dunlop of Australia about the Miami Airport:"This is the most disorganized shambles of an airport that exists on this earth.''April 01, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment on Post__________________________________On "Colony Collapse Disorder":Anonymous said...I say lets wait till the last tree is going to be cut down, the last bit of oil used, the last lowland coastal areas flooded before we make any rash decisions that might effect the economy.April 21, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On Bee “Colony Collapse Disorder” being blamed on cell phones:Anonymous said...Hmmm. What are bees doing with cell phones, anyhow?April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On South Florida Water Supply:Ron Littlepage said...Unfortunately, we know who would win when it comes to allowing development to run amok and it's not the wildlife.April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment Post_________________________________Lesley Blackner said:In Florida, the sad reality is that government exists to serve the development machine, not the citizenry. That's why it's proper to say that in Florida we have government of the developer, by the developer and for the developer.April 22, 2007 Eye on Miami Post_________________________________On City of Miami and Miami Dade County giving $1,000,000 each to Jorge Perez’s Related Group (The Group's 2005 revenues were $3.25 billion.):"It makes as much sense as me donating half my paycheck to Warren Buffett.”May 6, 2007 Miami Herald Columnist Ana Menendez_________________________________On the FCAT Test:"'Florida is a serial mis-user of test scores.''Bob Schaeffer, director for Massachusetts-based FairTest.May 25, 2007 Miami Herald_________________________________Clifford Schulman (Greenberg Traurig Lobbyist):"This is the first time in 33 years that any one has accused me of fraud." June 28, 2007 Miami HeraldI say: hmm.__________________________________Max Rameau, Homeless Activist:"I respect Ron Book for his work with the Homeless Trust, but the Liberty City community and others have given broad support to this idea. I don't know that a big-time millionaire lobbyist can tell us what is best for Liberty City and the black community.'' July 28, 2007 Miami Herald__________________________________"After years of mismanagement under a board of political appointees and neighborhood activists, Miami-Dade County administrators have proposed a new way to run the troubled empowerment zone program. The plan: Bring in new political appointees and neighborhood activists."November 6, 2007 Miami Herald: Reporter Scott Hiaasen______________________________________"Saying "Greater Everglades" and "Northern Everglades" is not saying Everglades -- other places are deserving of being protected too, but there is only one Everglades. The main thing is to keep the 'Main Thing' the main thing -- which, lately, has not been the main thing." Bob Mooney - on Listserve "Everglades Commons"________________________________________"Does anyone in their right mind believe that Florida could conduct postal balloting without a major screw-up or scandal? Heavens, no! The whole country is keenly aware that our state is a sump hole of incompetence and corruption."Carl Hiaasen - March 16, 2008 Miami Herald_______________________________________On the Charter Review: "Commissioners want us to vote on their own pet changes, ideas the review team explicitly rejected. And, they're throwing their blatantly self-serving ballot questions at us at the same time. What a slap in the face to the charter review team — and to all of us!" Michael Lewis of Miami Today - April 10, 2008______________________________________On the Miami Dade County Commission:''Unfortunately, this is a commission that would build a cyanide factory next to a playground if you hired the right 12 lobbyists,'' Miami Lakes Councilman Michael Pizzi - May 14, 2008______________________________________"The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities." President Barack Obama in Fort Meyers - February 10, 2009______________________________________"So."Dick Cheney's response when told that two thirds of Americans did not support the war in Iraq. - Time Magazine 2008______________________________________"It seems like a bad idea can always find a home in the Florida Legislature." - Howard Simon - Executive Director of Florida ACLU - March 24, 2010

______________________________________Complete this sentence: South Florida really needs a..."Regional plan for controlled growth (before it becomes a concrete jungle similar to Houston), and a completely new set of elected officials that make decisions based on what's good for the future of South Florida instead of what's good for their wallets. - Jack McCabe, Real Estate expert who predicted the housing boom's end. - August 29, 2011 Miami Herald